Georgia Totto O’Keeffe (Parents: Francis Calixtus O’Keeffe and Ida Totto; Spouse: Alfred Stieglitz; Siblings: Francis, Ida, Anita, Alexius, Catherine, and Claudia)
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986), often called the “Mother of American Modernism,” was a revolutionary artist best known for her large-scale paintings of magnified flowers, New York skyscrapers, and the sun-bleached landscapes of New Mexico.
O’Keeffe’s artistic journey began at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York, where she initially mastered traditional realism. However, she felt restricted by these conventions. Her breakthrough occurred in 1915 when she began a series of highly expressive charcoal abstractions. These drawings caught the eye of legendary photographer and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz, who gave O’Keeffe her first solo exhibition in 1917. The two eventually married in 1924, forming one of the most significant creative partnerships in art history.
During the 1920s, O’Keeffe produced her most iconic works: extreme close-ups of flowers, such as irises and poppies. By magnifying the subject, she forced viewers to “really see” the intricate beauty of nature, though critics often (to her annoyance) interpreted these works through a purely Freudian lens.
Seeking a new visual language away from the New York art scene, O’Keeffe began traveling to New Mexico in 1929. She became enthralled by the desert’s stark light and architectural forms. She spent much of her later life at Ghost Ranch and her home in Abiquiú, painting cow skulls, crosses, and the red hills of the Southwest. Her work is characterized by clear lines, subtle color gradations, and a unique balance between representation and pure abstraction. Even as her eyesight failed in her 90s, she continued to create art using clay and with the help of assistants, remaining a symbol of artistic independence until her death at 98.
Active in others filds : Art Education (Art Teacher/Supervisor), Sculpture (Clay work in later years), Advertising (Collaborated with the Hawaiian Pineapple Company).
